Due to the wide spread adoption of tubeless technology, the scourge of untimely flats has largely been eradicated from the trail scene. But no matter how smooth the rider, or fancy the setup, sometimes bad luck favors the bold, and then you need a mini pump.
Lezyne earned it’s reputation as an accessory manufacturer on the strength of it’s hand pumps, so we gladly accepted the opportunity to put their popular Alloy Drive Hand Pump to the test.
The beautifully CNC machined aluminum pump is available in two sizes. The small is 170mm long and weighs 112 g, while the medium is 216mm long and weighs 128g. Both can inflate a tire upto 90psi/6.2 bar, retail for $44.99, and are available in either black, blue, red, or yellow.
Stored inside the barrel of the pump is Lezyne’s ABS Flex Hose, which has a threaded Presta and Shrader valve on either side. In the past, the pumps were notorious for pulling out valve cores (on tubeless tires), but we did not experience any issues.
The flexible hose allows you better leverage while pumping, and reduces the risk of destroying a valve due to vigorous pumping. The Presta connection also has an air pressure release valve on the pump hose, to help dial tire pressure.
Both ports on the pump are protected by soft rubber caps, which have a tendency to fall off. While I’ve frequently fond them at the bottom of my Camelbak, the test pump is currently missing one.
The only other complaint we’ve heard about the pump is that it’s easy to get your fingers pinched between the body and handle if you’re not paying attention.
Aside from those minor quibbles, the Lezyne pump has been a rarely needed but trustworthy friend, whose light weight and performance have been appreciated on several epic adventures. Despite months of being jostled around in a tool pouch, there are only a few minor scuffs showing though, and the anodized finish appears to be holding up well.
In practice, I couldn’t tell you how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie pop, or how many pumps it takes to inflate a mountain bike tire, but during a recent trip to flat central AKA Downieville, Ca, the small pump proved to be invaluable. On our first run, our group experienced a broken derailleur hanger, and four flats. Which turned a quick lap into a painfully slow adventure.
During each of those trail mandated breaks, the Lezyne Alloy Drive was called into active duty. While the high volume pump had a tendency to heat up, it did made impressively short work of inflating large volume tires. As an all rounder, it works well, but you’re always better off having the right tool for the job. Riders who spend most of their time on the road would find a high pressure pump like the Pressure Drive better suited to their needs, but the this little guy has more than earned it’s place in my mountain bike bag.
Via Lezyne
